(JUBA) August 8, 2024 – Tuesday, two civilians were killed and several others were injured when Sudanese airplanes entered South Sudan and bombed the village of Khortumbak in Upper Nile State, according to local officials. According to Maban County Commissioner Peter Alberto, people were killed both on their fields and while walking to a market and assistance distribution center. He made this announcement to the state-run South Sudan Broadcasting Corporation.
Houses and livestock were also destroyed in the raid. Two civilian workers on their farm were murdered in the attack. Others were also injured, according to Alberto.
Although Alberto claimed to have notified the state governor, he did not elaborate on what might have precipitated the attack. Major General Lul Ruai Koang, spokesman for the South Sudan People’s Defense Force, claimed the military leadership was aware of the occurrence and that the attack was unprovoked. Koang reaffirmed the two nations’ 2012 non-aggression pact’s legitimacy. “That agreement is still in effect, and we haven’t switched to support Sudan,” Koang declared. Three-quarters of the oil was taken by landlocked South Sudan after it gained independence in 2011, but the oil is transported via pipeline through Sudan, which is in charge of the export facilities.
